"No pain, no gain" not the answer for overuse injuries

Thursday

Jan 10, 2013 at 12:36 PMJan 10, 2013 at 4:35 PM

Do you have a nagging pain that just won't go away? Find out how to shake your injury once and for all!

ATI Physical Therapy

Does your knee throb every time you hit the road for run? Do you feel a pull in your back each time you lift your daughter up into her crib? Do you experience shin pain every day at soccer practice? These are just many examples of chronic overuse injuries that can develop over time.

The athletic training team at ATI Physical Therapy sees more than their fair share of overuse injuries when treating athletes. They’re joining us today to reveal how overuse injuries occur and how you can fix them.

What they are: Chronic, or overuse, injuries occur as a result of repetitive trauma to the tendons, joints, and bones.

Why they occur: There are a variety of reasons why overuse injuries occur. One of the most common is poor technique and training errors. Others include taking on too much physical activity too quickly and neglecting to take rest days for recovery.

How to treat overuse injuries: Take time off! Don’t try to “tough it out” but instead cut back the duration, frequency, and intensity of your exercises to allow your body time to recovery. Be sure to stretch before any activity and ice immediately afterwards. “No pain, no gain” shouldn’t be your motto when dealing with an overuse injury!

How to prevent overuse injuries: Want to avoid them altogether? Focus on proper training, which includes learning and using good techniques, warming up with stretches before jumping into intense exercise, and listening to your body. If your body is screaming stop, then stop! You’ll be glad you did.